Article

The objective of the study was to investigate whether cognitive fatigue in
patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is a spontaneous phenomenon or whether it
can be provoked or exacerbated through cognitive effort and motor exercise.
Thirty two patients with definite MS and cognitive fatigue according to the
Fatigue Scale for Motor and Cognitive Functions (FSMC >/= 22) performed attention
tests (alertness, selective, and divided attention subtests from the TAP test
battery for attention performance) twice during rest (baseline), and before and
after treadmill training and cognitive load (a standardised battery of
neuropsychological tests lasting 2.5 hours). Subjective exhaustion was assessed
with a 10-point rating scale. Tonic alertness turned out to be the most sensitive
test and showed significantly increased reaction times after treadmill training
and after cognitive load. Patients' subjective assessment of exhaustion (10-point
rating scale) and the objective test results were discrepant. In contrast,
healthy control subjects (N = 20) did not show any decline of performance in the
subtest alertness after cognitive or physical load. Data favour the concept that
fatigue is induced by physical and mental load. Discrepancies between subjective
and objective assessment offer therapeutic options.
The common notion of a purely
"subjective" lack of physical and/or mental energy should be reconsidered.

Langue : ANGLAIS